


And the Music Will Only Make It Worse

by turnofthesentry



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Blindfolds, First Time, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Manipulation, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 12:39:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnofthesentry/pseuds/turnofthesentry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As disdaining as it was that Franklyn was so close with this man, he was undeniably a ticket into Lecter's world. And his mind. </p>
<p>Thank goodness, then, that Franklyn was so simple. He always responded to Tobias in all the correct, anticipated ways, which was what made him a friend worth having at all. Tobias didn't even have to say jump to make Franklyn jump; he'd need only point upward with his finger. He was wound up perfectly, strings adjusted so that he'd play just right.</p>
<p>Kink meme fill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And the Music Will Only Make It Worse

> "I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player, too.  
> And if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you.  
> Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due.  
>  I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul 'cause I think I'm better than you." 
> 
> \- _The Devil Went Down To Georgia_ , Charlie Daniels Band

** I. **

There were two primary incentives for Franklyn to leave his house. There was always _something,_ but whatever it was would always be different depending on the months, or the years; Franklyn had to adapt and adjust himself constantly to suit his present state of loneliness. He slingshotted between two extremes, both an adventurous -- and desperate -- need to go out and socially mingle, and a want to stay and sit in the comfort and safety of his own home, tending to his multitudes of colorful fish or indulging in one of his multiple flash-in-the-pan hobbies, which were also constantly changing.

These motives presently came in the form of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Franklyn's latest therapist, and Tobias Budge, Franklyn's newest friend. 

Franklyn was wealthy enough not to need to work, which was why he frequented Dr. Lecter in the mornings. He had tried to schedule his appointments on the day of each week that his housekeeper would come by to straighten up, after she had threatened to quit if he was around while she was working. Therefore, each morning after he'd laid out a snack platter for her (with a friendly smiley-face-punctuated post-it note that explained which crackers were to be eaten with which cheese and in what order) and left for his appointment, he still had an afternoon's worth of time to kill. 

Which was how Tobias came into the picture. 

They hadn't met at Tobias's string shop but rather the classical music section of one of Baltimore's more well-stocked bookstores, as Franklyn had been perusing a book of scores from some of his favorite operas. He couldn't read sheet music, but he liked collecting the volumes anyway; they looked good on his shelves, erudite conversation starters if ever someone came by for a visit. This one had proved its mettle before Franklyn had even paid for it -- once he and Tobias had gotten talking, Franklyn blurted an offer for him to accompany him to the opera that weekend, as he had an extra ticket -- which he did, despite the fact he hadn't intended on finding company to go with. He had been hoping to run into Dr. Lecter there, but showing up with another friend (he hoped) would make any encounters less awkward. 

Not that Franklyn was using Tobias's friendship to build one with Dr. Lecter, but he hoped that it could only make his pursuits more fruitful. 

Dr. Lecter's presence at the opera had indeed preoccupied Franklyn's attention -- so much so that he'd barely noticed any frustration from Tobias at his neglect -- but before and after Franklyn found himself utterly fixated on Tobias. He couldn't understand exactly _why;_ yes, they were friends, but Franklyn had _had_ friends before that he hadn't felt half as agitated around. 

It must have been the newness of the relationship, he reasoned. They did have interests in common, but Tobias had a cool and unaffected nature that flustered Franklyn. He felt as if he needed to try harder for Tobias's approval and attention almost constantly, but also that he didn't mind doing so. Every evening out, every small laugh or smile or eyebrow raise of interest filled him with a weird, bustling sort of excitement. He researched string instruments so he could contribute instead of just smiling and nodding while Tobias talked, he bought him gifts, invited him out in the afternoons or evenings whenever Tobias was free. 

_Best friends,_ he had thought, without question. It was Dr. Lecter that introduced to Franklyn that perhaps he was feeling something that went a step beyond friendship. 

_Do you desire Tobias sexually?_

Franklyn hadn't considered it. He was that particular kind of lonely where everything was stimulating in some way -- a friendly conversation with a stranger might make his hour, but a session with Dr. Lecter or an afternoon with Tobias filled him, consistently, with an electric sort of energy that made him already miss them before their time was even done. He had said _no_ to Dr. Lecter, of course he didn't _desire_ Tobias, but it was a reflex more than a truth. He wasn't heterosexual, either, but talking about sex at all inspired a knee-jerk embarrassment in Franklyn. Mostly because he barely had it. 

There was something about both of them that mystified him in oddly similar ways, _intrigued_ him in that way that was theoretically _sexual._ Or, even, romantic. Romantic attention carried a different weight than friendship did, even to Franklyn. It implied more than just a want for company, but a want for _specific_ company. Desire and affection paid to a specific person. Closeness. Love. Need. Did Franklyn want that? 

Of course he did. 

Dr. Lecter was his doctor. He was untouchable, put on a pedestal out of Franklyn's reach not only by their professional relationship but also by his own admission. Tobias, though, was his friend. 

So like with all of Dr. Lecter's advice and questions, Franklyn gave this one plenty of careful, thorough consideration. It loomed above him like a raincloud. Or a lion on verge of devouring him. 

"Tobias, we're close, aren't we?" He asked the next time he was at Tobias's shop. It was long closed but Tobias lived in the apartment above, so it was natural to linger downstairs. 

"Close? Do you mean are we friends?" Tobias inquired back, casually. "I suppose. Why else spend time together?" 

"Right, well -- that is what I thought, but I didn't want to be presumptuous. Sometimes I worry that I'm making you uncomfortable." 

His heartbeat felt so loud -- a surely ominous sign of danger mounting -- he felt certain Tobias must be able to hear it. Franklyn pulled his coat around himself a little tighter, fidgeting through his crooked smile. 

"Uncomfortable?" Tobias's voice always lifted just a little at the end when he was curious. Franklyn swallowed. 

"With… would you say we're just friends, Tobias, or…?" 

"Or _what?_ … More than friends?" Tobias's eyes fixed on his, oddly intimidating in their intensity. "Would that make you happy, Franklyn?" 

"Well, _yes_ , I sort of thought we--" Franklyn bit his lower lip nervously, gripped by a sudden fear of rejection. "Never mind," he continued hastily. 

Tobias strode toward him with what Franklyn thought (but couldn't be sure of) was a roll of his eyes, backing Franklyn up against the wall. Feeling cornered, Franklyn put his hand against the base of his throat to stave off an attack of anxious hyperventilation. 

"As in. What? Boyfriends? Significant others? Friends with benefits?" 

"S-something like that. I don't know." 

"Why, Franklyn?" Tobias's tone wasn't judgmental, but so neutral that it risked disinterest. Franklyn couldn't tell if he was simply being paranoid. He bit his lip, holding his hands out as if gesticulation might help make his explanation stronger. 

"Because--" He shook his head a little, giving up on anything profound. "You're my friend, and I trust you." 

"Do you?" Tobias arched an eyebrow, and Franklyn only nodded his assent. His eyes dropped as Tobias reached to begin undoing Franklyn's tie, but for the moment Franklyn kept silent except for his breathing. 

When Tobias had freed the long swatch of periwinkle cloth from Franklyn's neck he carefully tied it over Franklyn's eyes to blindfold him. No light made it through the fabric; the world disappeared.

"Okay," Franklyn said. He chuckled uneasily, leaning his back against the wall. "I get it... like a trust exercise. Right?" 

"Clever," Tobias said dryly, holding Franklyn's shoulders and beginning to guide him forward, dictating the direction he should walk. Franklyn's footsteps were slow and cautious, his arms halfway outstretched to avoid crashing into walls or furniture, but he moved with more confidence as Tobias led and turned him, disallowing hesitation. 

"Where are we going?" 

"Shh." 

Franklyn swallowed, reminding himself that the point was _trust,_ letting Tobias lead him through the less-than-familiar corridor. His feet kept trying to go left instinctively, but Tobias refused him any sense of familiarity; he did, at least, warn Franklyn about the set of stairs and help him down them. 

The room they ended up in was, Franklyn could tell, even darker than the shop -- understandable, if it was a basement of some kind -- because the veil he was peering through grew even thicker and more impenetrable. It smelled strongly of bleach and damp and something else inhospitable, and was noticeably colder than any of the other rooms. 

"What now?" 

"Keep walking forward. There's a desk -- don't knock anything off it. There are some pieces I'm restringing to your right." Tobias's hand left Franklyn's shoulder, abandoning him to cross the room on his own. "And relax." 

It all seemed a little impersonal, but Franklyn's heart was still racing nonetheless; he moved carefully and pressed his palms to the wood once he reached the desk, swallowing again as his pulse tried to catch up with him. Like the rest of the room the desk felt damp, though not wet; still, Franklyn wrinkled his nose a little at the prospect of doing anything on it, or in this room at all. That thought alone also set off another chain of anxiety, starting at _Are we moving too fast?_ , passing through _I don't even remember the last time I had sex_ and ending at _What if I'm bad at it?_

Still, he felt more excited than anxious, or rather the two feelings were intertwined now part and parcel. He was anxious _because_ he was excited, because he was so glad and desperate for Tobias's complete attention. This was bound to bring them closer, he reasoned, all in positive ways. It was bound to shake off the lingering unpleasantness Dr. Lecter's analysis -- _Despite differences he's your best friend but you're not his_ \-- and replace it with something more fulfilling and clearly mutually appreciated.

** II. **

Tobias wasn't attracted to Franklyn; in fact, he barely liked Franklyn most of the time, though he did find him a handy companion. He liked Franklyn's eager tendency to feed his ego, was more than glad to allow Franklyn to fuel his narcissism with the constant attention, flattery, and gifts, and the two of them did plentifully share interests. But it wasn't _Franklyn's_ friendship he wanted.

Yet, ironically, it was Franklyn's friendship that he _needed_ to find himself _better_ friends. It was Franklyn he needed _satisfied_ if he was expected to make any progress, by proxy, with Franklyn's psychiatrist. Dr. Hannibal Lecter had caught Tobias's attention right away when they had met at the opera. At first he'd simply been annoyed that Franklyn was distracted by someone else when he was there with _him,_ but when Tobias and Dr. Lecter had spoken he'd felt an instant connnection. Something _clicked_ into place. As disdaining as it was that Franklyn was so close with this man, he was undeniably a ticket into Lecter's world. And his mind. 

Thank goodness, then, that Franklyn was so simple. He always responded to Tobias in all the correct, anticipated ways, which was what made him a friend worth having at all. Tobias didn't even have to say jump to make Franklyn jump; he'd need only point upward with his finger. He was wound up perfectly, strings adjusted so that he'd play just right.

Tobias kissed him, which quickly steadied Franklyn's slightly heavy breathing. Franklyn responded frantically and eagerly, his hands shaking as they attempted to cup Tobias's cheeks. He had to lean on the balls of his feet somewhat to compensate for their height difference, which rather than endearing Tobias found pathetic. 

"I thought there might be a bed or something," Franklyn said. "Something more… intimate?"

"Intimacy is in the eye of the beholder," Tobias said simply. He stroked Franklyn's stubbly cheek once and turned him around, moving aside one of his half-strung violins to make space. The air was damp in an almost imperceptible way, a sink in the opposite corner presently soaking Tobias's newest batch of strings-to-be. If Franklyn smelled anything like blood or rot he didn't mention so, but Tobias took some amusement in Franklyn's discomfort. Sooner or later he expected Franklyn should be in this room under very different circumstances. "This is fine." 

"Right… it isn't the location that matters, but the people you're with." Franklyn exhaled, then tried to smile. 

As Tobias began to undress him, masking his impatience as he took Franklyn's coat and belt off, Franklyn tried to return the favor by blindly groping at where he suspected Tobias's belt buckle was. "You know, it's funny… you'll think this is funny, but just the other day Dr. Lecter asked me if I desired you. Just sort of out of the blue. That's funny, don't you think?" 

"What did you say?" Tobias wasn't interested for the reasons Franklyn probably supposed he was. "After all... don't you?" 

"I said… no. But, I--" 

"He probably knows," Tobias said slowly, folding Franklyn's jacket over the back of a chair. "That you were lying." 

"It wasn't exactly a _lie._ I just didn't… know. What to call it." 

"We could try a test. If you _don't_ desire me, you can leave your pants on." 

"That isn't fair. I have -- I _do_ \-- but he--" 

A sliver of Tobias's teeth appeared between his lips, as unseen by Franklyn as everything else. He pushed Franklyn against the desk, giving him a quick peck of a kiss that was meant to radiate (a perhaps slightly patronizing) reassurance. Franklyn let his pants fall. 

"It's charming. Your obsession with what he thinks of you. I can only wonder what all you told him about me to give him that impression," Tobias said as he moved closer, standing between Franklyn's legs and giving one of his chubby thighs a squeeze. Every touch elicited a reaction, which was what Tobias wanted -- all he was out to do was indulge Franklyn however would be most effective, appease him enough to keep him around and talking to Lecter about his problems. Intimacy, to Tobias, was more of a tool than a pleasure. 

So there _was_ immediate benefit to Franklyn's satisfaction regardless of the cost, which only made imagining his death all the more enjoyable. Anticipation grew the longer Tobias had to wait. 

"I told him that you don't like dairy." 

Tobias had to roll his eyes. "If you aren't careful he really is going to notice how _hard_ you're trying," he said, his voice a low near-whisper. He patted Franklyn's shoulder, inviting him to turn and face the desk again so that Tobias could press against his back and speak into his ear. "And he might still not be impressed. Will you tell him about this, Franklyn?" 

It would be an absurd question to anyone else but Franklyn, who curiously seemed to have no filter where Dr. Lecter was concerned; Tobias banked on that fact now, of course, without dwelling too hard on its implications. He would be brought up one way or the other. 

"I hadn't really decided yet, I was--" 

"Do you think he'll believe you?" Tobias pushed his shoulder a little harder, prompting Franklyn to bend forward slowly. Tobias bent with him so he didn't have to raise his voice. 

"Do you think he won't?" 

"I think Dr. Lecter knows how much you want his attention. And--" Tobias could feel Franklyn tense a little. "He might start to question your ability not to stretch the truth so that you can sound more interesting." 

Franklyn said nothing, breathing a little harder and inclining his head downward into his hands. Tobias pet Franklyn soothingly as he shook a little, trying to put voice to an objection that Tobias well knew Franklyn wouldn't be able to make himself believe entirely. Franklyn's disagreement was only a quiet whimpering sound. 

"Just kidding," Tobias continued. 

Sex with Franklyn turned out to be, as Tobias had expected, predominantly uninteresting. Franklyn whined and he jerked and he clutched at nothing in particular as he tried to figure out how best to move -- probably all the more so in his blindness -- and Tobias continually had to ignore a strange pressure in his chest and throat that he assumed was a very abstract revulsion or boredom. Almost spitefully, the more Franklyn wanted Tobias's affection, the less fond Tobias felt. 

He picked up a violin bow and drew it gently across Franklyn's back, then across his neck. Franklyn shivered. 

"What was that?" He asked. Tobias slicked the bow across Franklyn's neck again more slowly, as if Franklyn himself were an instrument. Touching Franklyn with the intestines-made-string amused and aroused Tobias more than the sex itself. He reveled in the small ignorances of others and in his own private symbolism. 

"A bow," Tobias said. Franklyn wriggled as it brushed against him as if tickled, chuckling in a humming sort of way. 

"Is that what I am to you -- a fiddle?" He joked. 

"I happen to be very _fond_ of fiddles," Tobias joked back. The bow moved down Franklyn's back again.

** III. **

Franklyn often practiced his therapy sessions alone in his apartment before he actually attended them, as a way to feel prepared even if what was actually discussed come appointment time ended up being completely different. There were still several days until his next, plenty could happen in that time. Still, he sat down in one of his chairs with a glass of water at his side, facing his expansive aquarium and the lion fish -- named Hannibal -- that was meant to represent Dr. Lecter that swam in wary circles around the top. Franklyn took a sip to hydrate his throat as he imagined Lecter greeting him with his usual _Good morning._

"I thought today we could discuss relationships," he said, after a hesitation of approximately accurate length. "I know… breaking new ground," he added, jokingly. 

_Have you met somebody?_ His mind supplied. Franklyn wet his lips and sat back, holding his hands out a little helplessly. 

"I think so," he said, gauging how the confirmation felt to acknowledge out loud. "We aren't officially… dating, whatever you want to call it, but I think we've definitely become more than just friends." 

_What makes you say that?_

"We kissed. And we had sex. Together." He was reminded of Tobias, hypothesizing that Dr. Lecter wouldn't believe Franklyn if he talked about sex, and wondering briefly why both of them had so little faith in the other's respect for him. "…It's Tobias." 

_I thought you told me there was nothing between the two of you. Did something change?_

Franklyn sighed, drinking from his water glass. "…You just caught me off-guard last week. I hadn't sorted through my feelings yet. I usually have to see you first before I can really figure them out." He swallowed. "But I've had some time to think about it, a-and yes. Something changed." 

_And that's a good thing. You like the way your relationship with Tobias is evolving._

"I think so." Franklyn nodded, though he frowned, looking at his fish uneasily. "Though it was a little weird." 

_How so?_

Franklyn exhaled, relieved so far that the Hannibal Lecter of his imagination didn't seem to be questioning him on any of his account so far. If even his own mind doubted his ability for romantic success, they would definitely have to discuss what _that_ meant. 

"He was saying some weird things. I'd never heard him talk like that before," he said. "We haven't known each other terribly long, but I just don't know where it's been coming from. And after we -- I'll spare you most of the details, but when he was done he took a violin bow and he… uh, did me? with it. I-I'm not wrong in finding that a little weird, am I? Not that it was exactly _bad_ , but--" 

His chest tingled a little, and Franklyn made a note to maybe not mention any sexual details in the real session; something about it made him uncomfortable, as embarrassed as he'd felt when the question had come up before. Maybe Tobias had been right and that mentioning their tryst at all _would_ be a bad idea; as much as Franklyn liked Tobias -- quite a lot, in spite of any recent uncertainties -- he also had reservations about talking about himself with other people to Hannibal. Silly as it may have been, he sort of preferred having Dr. Lecter think of him as "unattached," even if Dr. Lecter himself had no non-professional interest in Franklyn. 

That and even Franklyn had some concept of "TMI."

Finally, Franklyn decided it was best he put off the decision another day or so. A solution might become clearer with more thought, time, and experience behind it. Waiting and seeing seemed the safest choice. When he next saw Tobias, though, Tobias seemed oddly distant. Franklyn considered at first that he might be imagining it, but nearly everything he said earned him a terse reaction. 

"This isn't even about what happened the other day. I just thought we could hang out. As friends." 

"So that you can discuss it with Dr. Lecter?" Tobias replied, not looking up from his lunch. "I was planning to work late and you're interrupting my only break." 

"It won't take long. It's your shop -- you can close for just a little while, can't you? Maybe we could see a movie, or--"

Tobias sighed slowly, through his teeth. He stirred his bowl of soup. 

"In this business, Franklyn, I have a lot of very _wealthy_ clients. Good for me in one way, yes, but it means day in and day out I deal with the sort of demanding, entitled, _spoiled_ human beings that this world would be far better off without. One way or the other." 

"Wait." Franklyn stared at him. _One way or the other_ made his skin crawl. "Do you mean me?" 

Tobias didn't blink, though both his eyebrows raised. "Just kidding," he said. That again. Franklyn thought it better not to argue, though he was barely convinced. "I mean that I'm very busy." 

"It's a couple of hours," Franklyn persisted. "I just feel like you've been avoiding me. We haven't even spoken for days, you didn't return any of my calls, or my emails…" 

"So?" 

"So… Dr. Lecter warned me you might not feel the same way about our friendship that I do," said Franklyn slowly, a stinging admission no matter how true it probably was. "But I still think that--" 

"Why do you believe everything he tells you, Franklyn? He doesn't even _like_ you," Tobias interrupted in a dry yet merciless tone of voice. "Sometimes I'm surprised he hasn't recommended suicide, so that you can _both_ be put out of your misery. Your sessions must be--" 

"Tobias, what is your problem?" Franklyn demanded, holding out his arms in exasperation as he tried very hard not to get upset, not to dwell on why Tobias would be so _exceptionally_ cruel. "Are you angry at me? Did I do something wrong?" 

"I'm just kidding, Franklyn." 

"Please-- stop _saying_ that." Disappointment weighed on his chest, though he was too busy feeling offended and confused to feel truly insulted. It didn't occur to him whatsoever to feel used. "Look, I'm sorry if I… if I did anything, I came on too strong, didn't I? You need your space. I can respect that." 

"Listen," Tobias said, standing slowly and walking around his desk to touch Franklyn on the shoulder. "It just isn't a good day. We'll do something tomorrow. All right? As friends." 

"All right. I'll call you tomorrow," Franklyn said slowly, alarm bells still ringing quietly. He made a note to bring this up to Dr. Lecter for sure, regardless of what else they touched on. Maybe he was just very, very far out of the dating loop, after all, so a little insight would do him wonders. Tobias was being brought up whether he liked it or not. 

Dr. Lecter, after all, always knew exactly the right way to help Franklyn.


End file.
